Onmyoji (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Yôjirô Takita

Writer:

Baku Yumemakura (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Drama | Horror

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Severed Head | Butterfly | Spell | Supernatural

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Mansai Nomura	...	Abe no Seimei
Hideaki Ito	...	Minamoto no Hiromasa
Eriko Imai	...	Mitsumushi
Yui Natsukawa	...	Fujiwara no Sukehime
Mai Hosho	...	Uri no onna
Ken'ichi Yajima	...	Fujiwara no Morosuke
Kenjirô Ishimaru	...	Onmyo-gashira
Kenichi Ishii	...	Fujiwara no Kaneie
Houka Kinoshita	...	Kanmu-Ten'nou
Sachiko Kokubu	...	Fujiwara no Tadako
Kenji Yamaki	...	Tachibana no Ukon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Cansino	...	Fujiwara no Morosuke (voice: English version) (as Edward Zilla)
Akira Emoto	...	Fujiwara no Motokata
Masato Hagiwara	...	Sawara-Shin'nou
Manami Honjou
Brandon Jones	...	Minahoto no Hirosoma (voice: English version)
Ittoku Kishibe	...	The Mikado
Kyôko Koizumi	...	Aone
Steve Kramer	...	Doson (voice: English version)
Mona Marshall	...	Suke Hime (voice: English version)
Sean Mitchell	...	Nagamasa (voice: English version)
Susumu Nihashi	...	Nagamasa
Tony Oliver	...	Prince Sawara (voice: English version) (as Rafael Antonio)
Bob Papenbrook	...	Tachibana no Ukon (voice: English version) (as Bob Pappenbrook)
Simon Prescott	...	Mikada (voice: English version) (as Simon Issacson)
Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Douson
Ellyn Stern	...	Toko (voice: English version)
Terrence Stone	...	Abe no Seimei (voice: English version) (as Terry Roberts)
Kenji Takechi
Kari Wahlgren	...	Aone (voice: English version) (as Kay Jensen)
Tom Wyner	...	Fukiwara no Motokata (voice: English version) (as Abe Lasser)

Directed by
Yôjirô Takita

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Baku Yumemakura		writer

Produced by
Kazuya Hamana	....	producer
Tetsuji Hayashi	....	producer
Nobuyuki Tohya	....	producer

Original Music by
Shigeru Umebayashi

Cinematography by
Naoki Kayano

Sound Department
Thanos Kazakos	....	sound re-recording mixer
Thanos Kazakos	....	sound re-recording mixer: English dub
Thanos Kazakos	....	sound re-recording mixer: English version

Camera and Electrical Department
Tatsuya Osada	....	gaffer

Production Companies

• Dentsu
• Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co.
• Toho Company
• Tohokashinsha Film Company Ltd.
• Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
• Tôhoku Shinsha Creates

Distributors

• Toho Company (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• Elephant Films (2004) (France) (all media)
• Pioneer Entertainment (USA) L.P.
• Pioneer
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Omnibus Japan

Other Companies

• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Imagica  film processing
• Japan Action Enterprise Co. Ltd.  stunts
• Kodak Japan  film stock supplied by
• Motriz  music production
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment supplied by
• Tohokushinsha Creates  production cooperation
• Uchida Ongaku Jimusho  musician management

Also Known As:

Onmyoji: The Yin Yang Master (USA)
The Yin Yang Master (International: English title)
Ying Yang Masters

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

112 min | Switzerland:116 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Japan:G | Germany:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | USA:R

Company:

Dentsu

Trivia:

From the Making-Of Documentary on the Special Edition DVD: - Total number of cuts: 1026 - Concept planning: 5 years - Number of days filming: 93 days - Number of days in post-production: 128 days - Location crew: 86 people - SFX crew: 31 people - CG integration staff: 37 people - Total number of crew: 154 people - Those who camped out for the first show: 400 people (at Nihon Gekijo Theater) - Number of theaters: 225 theaters - Number of viewers: 2.2 million people (as of Summer 2001) - Gross at box office: Approx. 3 billion yen (roughly $30 million USD)

Movie Connections:

Followed by Onmyoji 2 (2003)

Superb recreation of Heian Japan

Contrary to some of the more unfavorable comments, this is Japanese movie, has nothing to do with the Chinese genre of wuxia or martial hero movie, and does not prominently feature martial arts. Instead, it is a movie about an Onmyoji or Master or Yin and Yang, an ancient Japanese master of the occult arts, including exorcism, necromancy, foreknowledge, etc. The recreation of these arts is quite authentic and the movie is suitable for use in the classroom to help students understand the jumble of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism that made up Chinese esoteric learning for the early Japanese. The hero, Abe no Seimei, is played by a noted Noh actor. His style is arresting, so mannered that it might seem artificial. But in this performance it gives Seimei an otherworldly, superhuman air that ads mystery to the character. If you rent it on DVD, be sure to choose to hear it in Japanese with subtitles rather than in the dubbed version. Much of the magic depends on chants and spells and I can't imagine how they could have dubbed those. THis movie requires close attention to follow the story, but it is worth it. An engrossing story of a totally different world, where the fate of nations is determined by sorcerers and wrathful spirits, and imperial forces rely as much on exorcists and priests as on generals. Highly recommended.